Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want to Be

Taking Back Sunday
Where You Want to Be
Victory Records
Grade: A-

It is hard to believe that this is only Taking Back Sunday’s second record, as they seem to have been dominating the arena for much longer than three years. And yet it is. A new record that debut at #3 on the Billboard charts and is still selling vast quantities; all of which is unbelievable. Though there is a lot of hype, Where You Want to Be is an excellent follow up to Tell All Your Friends and shows a sweet progression in sound maturity.

I remember seeing video of TBS before they got things going from friend Ray Frech; our previous partner in crime with fun game massive. Though the band was solid, there was nothing that grabbed you by the balls. Ray continued to champion the band to me as they signed on Victory. And such, when Tell All Your Friends came out in 2002, I was stunned at how the band had become exponentially better. I obviously wasn’t the only one who thought this, as TBS started the opening salvo of their skyrocketing popularity and helped lead the much maligned ‘emo-core’ sound.

The ‘big’ question on this follow-up from this quasi-Amityville, NY five-piece is how they would adapt and survive with two new members. In 2003, both John Nolan and Shaun Cooper left TBS and formed Straylight Run (also signed to Victory). As I like to describe him, Nolan was the guy with the skinny head. After some cancellations and hold ups, Fred Mascherino joined the band on guitar and vocals and Matt Rubano came on board with bass. Although lead singer Adam Lazzara is the celebrity, heartthrob of the band, guitarist Eddie Reyes is the captain. Reyes has been part of the Long Island punk/hardcore for more years than Walt Flanagan’s dog, and it seems he would be unwillingly to let this situation shut down the behemoth that is Taking Back Sunday. After the band got their package together, they enlisted producer Lou Giordano to help transfer their visions to reel during this past spring.

Where You Want to Be kicks off on “Set Phasers to Stun” with down-picking quick stop-starting guitars and Lazzara’s compelling vocals bristling along. As probably the best song on the record, “Set Phasers to Stun” excels when Lazzara does a couple of quick tripping vocal sections and, of course, on the dazzling chorus. “Bonus Mosh Pt. II” begins slower and features more earnest and faux-whining vocals from Lazzara. The song also echoes vocal cadences from many songs on Tell All Your Friends, as well as your first dose of background screaming. Initially drawing on some 80s guitars, “A Decade Under the Influence” is the type of song that other bands do when they want to sound like Taking Back Sunday. So that is both good and bad. It is bad because that means TBS is not working to differentiate themselves from their lazy imitators. It is good because it illustrates their musically prowess. Other pluses are that the song is pop happiness and contains a great chorus of “To hell with you and all your friends.” “This Photograph is Proof (I Know You Know)” moves at mid-tempo and is only really noteworthy for its enriching chorus. To contrast what you just heard, “The Union” comes in at full force, speed devil punk before dropping into a breakdown and coming back out. “The Union” also does a good job utilizing subtle guitar electronics overdubs. As the stab-yourself-in-the-eye and/or pure indie cred number, “New American Classic” features Lazzara singing to acoustic guitars and an array of strings. Another piece of good record sequencing is “I Am Fred Astaire” following “New American Classic” and finds the band pushing an uplifting and even-keeled sound. Besides from the all-out, multiple vocalist ending, “One-Eighty By Summer” is a bit ho-hum. Yet, the opening to “Number Five With A Bullet” is always what I’m looking for. The song begins with muting and Lazzara singing along with a bit of electronics coming in to enliven the product. Unfortunately, the song doesn’t entirely deliver on its auspicious start, but it is still a standout number on the record. Dual intertwining guitars lead you through “Little Devotional,” while “…Slowdance On the Inside” closes the record with slight strings underneath a mid-tempo dreamy composition. “…Slowdance On the Inside” is an awesome record closer and is probably the one song with an epic feel with multiple vocalists adding to the chorus.

Although Where You Want to Be may not have as many memory-burning tracks as Tell All Your Friends, the overall package is much tighter, solid and constructed. Even still, songs like “Set Phasers to Stun,” “Bonus Mosh Pt. II” and “Number Five With A Bullet” will still get you moving. There is little question that people love Where You Want to Be, given the strong sales over the past couple of months. And yet, it is still difficult to figure out how much bigger Taking Back Sunday can get. I suppose Grammy talk is not entirely out of the question. Also, another great video from Christian Winter and Hilo Films could get some VMA action. That would all be purely crazy.